Ben Forster breaks ankle following onstage fall

The actor was playing Buddy in Elf the Musical at The Lowry in Manchester

West End star Ben Forster has withdrawn from a production of Elf the Musical at The Lowry in Manchester, following an onstage fall which led to him breaking his ankle.

The actor tweeted on Sunday saying: "In the matinee of Elf, there was an incident on stage and I broke my ankle.

"Still in hospital at the moment but all your tweets and messages are keeping my spirits high. Heartbroken to finish the Elf run early but you're in safe hands with this wonderful cast and my brilliant understudy, Colin."

Forster had returned to the role that he played at the Dominion Theatre in the show's 2015 West End premiere, the new production opening at the Theatre Royal Plymouth in November before transferring to The Lowry where it will run until 14 January.

The theatre tweeted to say that the matinee had been stopped at that audience members would be offered a refund or seats for a future performance.

Unfortunately, today's matinee show of @elfmusicaluk has had to stop. Patrons will be offered a full refund or seats for a future performance. Our apologies for any inconvenience caused.

Based on the 2003 film starring Will Ferrell, Elf tells of an orphan who learns his real dad lives in New York and not the North Pole. It features a book by Thomas Meehan and Bob Martin, with music and lyrics by Matthew Sklar and Chad Beguelin.